Beno Zephine: Girl who saw tomorrow

Last Week, TOI's Chennai office had an interesting visitor-NL Beno Zephine, who made headlines when she became the first 100% visually impaired person to enter indian foreign service. during a lively interaction with reporters, she spoke about issues that concern people with disabilities.
'I am blessed to be 100% visually impaired by birth'
When N L Beno Zephine walks into a room, there is suddenly a spur of energy .The first 100% visually impaired person to gain entry into the 69-year-old Indian Foreign Serv ice, Beno neither dwells on her disability nor shies away from referring to it.
“I am blessed to be 100% visually impaired by birth,“ said the 25-year-old in an interaction with TOI. “If you have 40% vision, then you are worried about it deteriorating.“

For Beno, her parents -Luke Anthony Charles a railway employee, and mother Mary Padmaja -have been her pillars of support. “My mother is an IFS maker apart from being a homemaker. My parents always treated me on a par with others giving me a lot of confidence,“ she said. “My father takes me wherever I want to go. The moment I com pleted writing civil services, he told me to study something else. My mother reads to me for hours.“
Working as a probationary officer with SBI was not without its challenges, but the work atmosphere was friendly and she was treated as an equal, she said “At 4pm every day we used to plan where to go ou and eat,“ said Beno, who feels visually impaired peo ple shouldn't always expect sympathy from society .
For Beno has not let her disability affect her joie de vivre. “There is a general assumption that visu ally impaired people are rude. For instance, in a bus some demand for seats.
I don't mind standing.
For, while I can't see, I don't have a problem with my leg,“ she said.
“There needs to be un derstanding.“
However, she does have dreams of a more accessible Chennai. “It is easy to move around in Chennai; in Delhi, it is easier. When we plan for roads, we can make them barrier-free, and buildings can be more accessible,“ said Beno.
The self-confessed foodie, who studies at the last minute and is a last bencher, has strong views on virtually everything from reservation for the disabled, world affairs, dating, and marriage. “Being visually impaired is not a problem. If you are good, you will be dated,“ she said with a smile.
On a more serious note, she added, “I'm not fascinated about people getting married and not thinking of their career. Both should co-exist.“
Growing up, Beno never felt insecure as she exchanged notes and chatted about boys with her friends. “Peer pressure to date is slowly increasing in Chennai, but it can mount only when people give in to it. After Stella Maris, I went to Loyola where I did my MA and civil services together. When others went to the movies, I sat and studied. It doesn't mean that I did not want to go; I just wanted to study,“ said Beno, who loves movies and can be spotted hanging out with friends at Ampa Skywalk on weekends.
Beno is looking forward to her training and making an impact. For her time in Delhi, her parents have come up with a way to help her choose her clothes.“I have no idea of colour. So my parents have numbered my clothes with labels in Braille,“ said Beno.
She hopes that success stories of visually impaired people are widely covered by the media. “ A disabled person is expected to excel to get recognised.“
(With inputs from Divya Chandrababu)